Interview with Margaret Slovak: Spiritually, I try to center myself and focus on touching and moving people through my performances: Video, new CD cover

Jazz interview with Jazz guitarist and composer Margaret Slovak

JazzBluesNews: – Please explain your creative process …

Margaret Slovak: – When I compose and arrange music, I try to enter into a quiet place within myself where I can hear the music I am creating purely and connect to the emotions and ideas that I want to express through the music. My creative process is very slow; I need some time to develop and sculpt my musical ideas.

JBN: – What are your main impulses to write music?

MS: – Each piece of music that I write is usually about a person, place or life event that has touched or inspired me. I try to convey feelings and moods to the listener through my music; my biggest compliment is if someone can find comfort, peace and a soul connection through my music.

JBN: – What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments and pieces in your work and/or career?

MS: – There is a song that I wrote many years ago for a dear elderly friend that I knew when I was in college; her name was Marie. I wrote a song for her during my senior year at The Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. I composed it in a tiny practice room at the school that overlooked the gorgeous Puget Sound; it was one of the most magical creative experiences that I have ever experienced. The most beautiful thing was that Marie attended my senior recital and sat in the front row; as I played the song that night and dedicated it to her, she had tears streaming down her face. I realized then that music has a great ability to touch people’s hearts and souls deeply, so since that moment, I have always tried to touch people through my music rather than trying to impress them with lot of notes and complexity. In addition, I have recorded this song, “Flowers for Marie,” on 4 of my CDs: solo, duo, trio and quartet versions. This song is a touchstone for my life’s purpose through musical expression. I try to carry it over into my playing and composing, whether I am playing in a noisy bar or restaurant, a quiet concert hall, or for patients in cancer treatment centers, hospitals, elder care centers or hospice.

JBN: – Are there sub-genres within the jazz field that you tend to stay away from or focus on?

MS: – With my writing and playing, I gravitate to a sub-genre of jazz that embraces elements of classical and Eastern European music, but I also love playing jazz standards and ballads and blues-inspired jazz.

JBN: – When was your first desire to become involved in the music & what do you learn about yourself from music?

MS: – I started to play the guitar at age 11 and began to compose at age 14. I became hooked on playing the guitar by age 12; I wanted to play every possible moment. In high school, I carried a guitar with me everywhere and would practice every chance that I had; I still carry that over into my adult life! The guitar has been a great source of comfort and centering for me; it has helped me to navigate the difficult events and losses that I have faced in my life. Music has taught me that my purpose in life is to dedicate myself to using my music to comfort, touch and try to bring beauty into the lives of others.

JBN: – How do you prepare before your performances to help you maintain both spiritual and musical stamina?

MS: – Although recently I have been burning the candle at both ends to complete and release the new duo album with bassist Chris Maresh, I do try to exercise, eat healthy food, and get adequate sleep. I also do a lot of hand, arm and finger stretches throughout the day to keep my hands limber, especially due to the car accident that I had in 2003; I injured my right hand, arm and brachial plexus, and had 8 corrective surgeries and years of physical therapy to bring back the function of my right hand and arm.

Spiritually, I try to center myself and focus on touching and moving people through my performances.
What do you love most about your new album 2024: Margaret Slovak & Chris Maresh: A Star’s Light Does Fall; how it was formed and what you are working on today.

A Star’s Light Does Fall is a very different album for me…My other 4 albums have mainly featured my original compositions. With this new album, I worked with the amazing bassist Chris Maresh; together, we created our own arrangements of 11 traditional and non-traditional Christmas songs, including “Infant Eyes” by Wayne Shorter and “O Come O Come Emmanual.” I love that we created a way to present music that might bring comfort and peace to people during the Christmas season, especially those facing life and health challenges or grieving a recent loss. Chris and I worked on the song arrangements, recording and mixing in a richly collaborative and very fun creative process.

I am in the midst of doing CD release shows for the album during the month of December 2024. Starting next year, I want to begin composing new music for a 6th CD project; I am still working on what the format and instrumentation will be. I am also a painter, and I sometimes create paintings in a collaborative creative process with the composition of my music; my artwork is featured on my album covers and inside the CD packages. I also sometimes do concerts where the artwork is on stage. Thus, I hope to return to doing more painting along with the composition of a new body of music.

JBN: – Did your sound evolve during that time? And how did you select the musicians who play on the album?

MS: – A Star’s Light Does Fall is a duo collaboration between myself and the wonderful Austin bassist and composer Chris Maresh. Chris and I began playing together as a duo in November 2023. We had an immediate musical connection, which was augmented by the fact that we both had Czech fathers who were musicians. Thus, we each grew up with music being played in the house, live and on records: everything from Czech polkas to Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana and everything in between. Those Eastern European minor melodies were ever-present, seeping into our souls and becoming a part of our musical language, something which we tried to embrace on this album.

Buy from here – New CD 2024 

We further developed our duo sound together during the creation of A Star’s Light Does Fall and through our weekly performances at a local Austin venue. Playing in the duo format is a unique experience; everything is very exposed, so melody and space are a very important part of the music.

Chris’s great-grandfather, who immigrated to Texas in 1853, was from a small Czech village near the town of Lanškroun, on the border of Moravia and Bohemia. My grandfather immigrated to Texas in 1900; he and my great-grandfather were from Provodov, in the Zlín District of Moravia. These two little Czech villages are only about 90 miles apart. So we have that ancestral home connection too!

JBN: – How would you describe and rate the music scene you are currently living?

MS: – Austin, Texas has a very rich and vibrant music scene; jazz is just one part of it. The interesting thing about Austin is that the walls between the different genres of music seemed to be shorter; you have jazz musicians playing with blues musicians, alternative rock musicians, singer songwriters, and classical musicians. Thus, the scene is multifaceted and richly expressive. People are very passionate about music here, both the musicians and the listeners. Music is a part of everyday life in Austin, TX.

JBN: – When you improvise, you know where you’re going. It’s a matter of taking certain paths and certain directions?

MS: – Because most jazz harmony is complex, with extended chordal structures and multiple tonal center changes, when I improvise, I utilize the many elements that I have studied and continue to study over the years: scales, arpeggios, chord voicings, music theory, etc. I also try to echo parts of the melody of each song I am playing in my improvisation. However, I attempt to be as creative and spontaneous as possible in my improvisational explorations; I try to ultimately use my ears and my heart to shape all of these elements into something that may inspire the listener and honor and expand upon the song.

One of my teachers at the Cornish College of the Arts, the great bassist Gary Peacock, used to say that we should learn all of the musical elements so well that they are second nature; he instructed us to practice the components so deeply that we could actually “forget about them” when improvising.

I strive to try to find new ways to improvise over pieces that I’ve played for a long time, but it’s normal to sometimes repeat things we’ve already played over certain songs or chord progressions. The challenge is to seek new Improvisational paths and be open to surprises when improvising.

JBN: – Do you ever get the feeling that music majors, and particularly people who are going into jazz, are being cranked out much like business majors? That they are not really able to express themselves as jazz musicians?

MS: – No, I don’t feel that at all. I think the jazz schools have developed a rich and expansive pedagogical experience that nurtures young musicians with a great musical foundation of jazz and its history, while encouraging them to develop and find their own musical voices within the current jazz world.

JBN: – With such an illustrious career, what has given you the most satisfaction musically?

MS: – I gain the most satisfaction when I feel that I have a direct and deep emotional connection to the listeners during my performances. Some of my most memorable musical experiences have been playing for patients in cancer treatment centers, hospitals and hospice; the power that music has to comfort and heal people is what keeps me inspired to continue on with my path and life in music.

JBN: – From the musical and feeling point of view is there any difference between old and great jazz musicians and young?

MS: – I have always been inspired by jazz elders, whether they were my teachers or musicians I listened to on recordings and in live performances. Just as in any aspect of life, younger people can gain so much from the wisdom of their elders; in jazz, you can hear someone’s life and their soul in every note that they play. Our great jazz elders teach us so much about the technical aspects of playing, but they also teach us how to live our lives and how to express our hearts and souls to others through our playing.

JBN: – What advice would you give to aspiring musicians thinking of pursuing a career?

MS: – Just follow your heart and concentrate on finding your own individual path in music; don’t worry about becoming famous or fitting into other people’s expectations of what you should be playing or what you should sound like. Focus on using your music to help and connect with people. More than ever, I think music is a very important healing element in the midst of an increasingly complex world.

JBN: – Do You like our questions? So far, it’s been me asking you questions, now may I have a question from yourself…

Your questions have been wonderful. One question I can think of is: Why did you record a Christmas album?

Our intent with this album was to record traditional, non-traditional and lesser-known Christmas music that might bring comfort and peace to people during the holiday season, especially those facing life and health challenges or grieving the loss of a loved one. In all of the years that I have been playing for patients in healthcare and hospice settings, they have always loved it when I play Christmas music for them in December; many have asked if I had a Christmas CD. So this new album is a gift to them!

JBN: – Have you ever given a free concert during your entire concert career?

MS: – Yes, I have played numerous free shows for patients in hospitals, cancer treatment centers, hospice and elder care centers; I also often play benefit concerts for various nonprofit organizations.

JBN: – At the bottom line, what are your expectations from our interview?

MS: – I appreciate your interest in my new album, and I’m grateful that this interview may help my music to reach more people and thus touch their hearts and inspire them through my efforts. Thanks, Simon!

Margaret Slovak’s personal website։ https://margaretslovak.com

By Simon Sarg